Enjoy Food & Travel is a website for you that appreciate good food, wine and beer. Our team will share memorable food memories and recipes from Scandinavia and beyond. Enjoy Food & Travel will provide information on how to get the best and cheapest transportation to your destination, and how to get an affordable deal on accommodation. Enjoy Food & Travel will also deal with the options you have to do research on the net on the city or region you plan to visit before you leave.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Are you a DINK? Here are ten good rules on how to get cheap airfare for just for you!

DINKs are "double income, no kids" – i.e. couples and individuals that may travel with no concerns for peak seasons, holidays, or school breaks, when families travel. If you are a DINK and enjoy a flexible working situation, you are lucky. You may get excellent airfare by shopping airtickets on the net. How? Here are 10 good rules on how a DINK may get a cheap fare.

You are not a DINK? Well non-DINKs may also profit from this information.

Be flexible - travel off seasonAvoid traveling, when everyone else wants to go to the destination of your choice. Even the most famous and popular places to travel, have periods when fewer people visit. November, January or February - these are the times you may try to get cheap air-travel to New York, Paris, or London, and not during summer. Likewise, visit South Africa or Australia during off-season, i.e. their winter. These are the options for DINKs , as couples with kids are restricted to travel, when everyone else travel, during holidays and school breaks. Avoid large public holidays. DINKs should not travel during Easter, or Christmas and avoid the US e.g. during the Halloween and Thanksgiving Holidays.

Be flexible – order lateIf you have a very flexible working situation, and can take time off on a very short notice, you may bide your time and order just a few days before departure. At that point you may get a bargain price for an unused seat. Some booking services offer a last minute service and some have even specialized in this kind of booking.

Plan ahead - look for seasonal campaignsYesterday, the low cost Norwegian carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle launched their autumn campaign offering one-way prices to European cities from EUR 35 to EUR 110 during August and September. You are well advised to use this and similar campaigns to buy a cheap airline ticket, but act quickly, as there are many that think as you.

Avoid weekends – travel during weekdays.Most non-DINKs work Monday through Friday, and have kids that go to school during the week. They will travel during or include weekend days in there travelling. If you can avoid travelling these days you may get much lower prices. Try travelling Thursday through Tuesday, and see what you can get for your money.

Look for campaigns for new travel destinationsLook out for campaigns where aircarriers launch new destinations. They may offer travellers great deals during the first period, but trust me - it will not last. If the airlines succeed on the new destination the prices will be much higher later. So if you see a great bargain, try it. I did! I got a roundtrip deal on a new service for Oslo/Torp to Marseille, last November for less than EUR 60, all included.

Do not wait – order when you have found that unbeatable priceAn excellent bargain is an occasion not to be missed. Order quickly, preferably there and then, as the excellent price you’ve found may be gone tomorrow. I have checked several booking services and found that the price for airfare on a certain date to a certain destination may fluctuate drastically from one day to another on the same website.

Book online – avoid travel agentsTravel agents are out, the web is in. Use all the options you have on the net. There are a great number of reliable websites that compete with each other for your attention. This gives you an excellent chance to get a great deal. The travel agent, however, may give you personal choice, but will in many cases not offer you the good deals you get on the net.

Investigate properly - comparing prices presented online can save you big bucksI have checked the difference on prices for several destinations already, and there are great differences in price from different websites. So compare at least 4-5 options before you decide to book. But remember – check the itinerary, as the cheapest tickets may mean longer travelling time and several transfers. One good example was the excellent deal for the roundtrip Oslo Johannesburg with Egypt Air. The itinerary was Oslo-Vienna-Cairo-Johannesburg. Choosing a more expensive ticket may save you fewer stops, less waiting, and shorter travelling time, so you have to weigh the low price against less convenience and comfort.

Look for new low cost air carriers from your destinationAre you living close to an airport and a new airline starts a new service be alert as the new carrier may offer you good deals in the start to harden its grip on travellers.

Stay informed - subscribe to newslettersMost people find a few websites where you book your tickets. Stay informed and subscribe for the e-mail newsletters, as many campaigns and good prices may be advertised here. However, check their customer policy, so you e-mail address are not sold to other websites for spam. Alternatively you may establish a second -.hotmail, or-.yahoo address for these services, in order to avoid spam to you official e-mail.

About Me

50 year old professional working in a research facility (cancer research). Passionate globetrotter and cook. Enjoying an interesting life with family and friends. Living in downtown Oslo, within walking distance to all what happens in the city.